Gu Sijiu spent over a month recuperating in the hospital until her injuries were mostly healed. To take care of her, Song Jinzhi truly fulfilled her initial promise, staying in the hospital with her every day and providing meticulous care. As for the issue of Gu Sijiu's physical condition, although both the Gu and Song families tried to keep it under wraps, there's no such thing as a completely soundproof wall, and the news of Gu Sijiu's condition spread throughout the empire.
There were not many cases of physical defects among female Alphas, but it wasn't unheard of. However, Gu Sijiu's identity and her engagement to Song Jinzhi amplified the situation significantly. During this period, Song Jinzhi received calls from her parents and Jing Yu. Faced with their questions, she felt annoyed. She understood that her family and friends were concerned for her, but while she was in the hospital caring for Gu Sijiu, she had no mood to discuss these matters.
While tidying up the files that Jennifer had organized for her, Song Jinzhi felt a bit hungry and planned to go downstairs to find some nutritional supplements. Just as she reached the staircase, she saw Gu Sijiu standing in the kitchen, picking out ingredients, clearly planning to prepare dinner. It was the first time Gu Sijiu had decided to cook since they returned from the hospital a few days ago. Song Jinzhi felt worried about her injuries and hurried over.
"Gu Sijiu, can you do this with your injuries?" Song Jinzhi had caught a glimpse of Gu Sijiu's wound when the doctor was changing the dressing, it was large and deep. Although it had healed, it still left a significant scar. Song Jinzhi knew that Gu Sijiu was very sensitive about that scar and had never looked closely at it, fearing she wouldn't be able to handle it.
"I haven't had anything tasty in a while, so I craved it a bit." Gu Sijiu said, glancing at the nutritional supplements in Song Jinzhi's hand, her lips slightly parted before slowly closing again. Song Jinzhi noticed that the ingredients Gu Sijiu was picking were enough for two, and happiness bubbled up in her heart. She also realized that after the incident with the reporters, their relationship had eased quite a bit, and after a month of care, Gu Sijiu had somewhat calmed down.
However, given Gu Sijiu's temperament and character, she was still sulking a little, yet she would proactively prepare dinner for both of them. Such a person really gave an intuitive sense of cuteness. Song Jinzhi didn't want to break the moment, so she put the nutritional supplements back in the fridge and turned to sit on the sofa to watch the news. Noticing her actions, Gu Sijiu wanted to put the extra ingredients back but thought it would be too childish, so she decided to just let Song Jinzhi have a meal, considering it a pity for her.
Gu Sijiu set the dinner on the table, and for Song Jinzhi, such delicious food was truly a long-lost joy. She had forgotten how long it had been since she had eaten a meal cooked by Gu Sijiu herself, yet she could never forget how good it tasted. Now that she was tasting it again, Song Jinzhi closed her eyes in enjoyment as she sipped the soup and eagerly picked up a cheesy shrimp ball to pop into her mouth.
The cheese was coated with golden bread crumbs, fried to a crisp yet not greasy on the outside. Inside, the shrimp ball carried the succulent juices of the shrimp meat, with a crispy shell and tender shrimp. The sweet, salty, and savory flavors blended and balanced perfectly, making this simple cheese shrimp ball a delightful surprise.
Song Jinzhi ate one and then reached for another. Seeing how much she enjoyed them, Gu Sijiu raised an eyebrow and subtly pushed the plate a little closer to her. The two quietly finished the meal, and Gu Sijiu instructed the AI robot to clean up the table before heading upstairs to rest. Song Jinzhi noticed that Gu Sijiu didn't prepare any fruit for dessert or heat up milk for herself, which left her feeling a bit disappointed.
Song Jinzhi had no experience in pursuing someone and didn't know how an Omega should chase after an Alpha after angering them. She liked Gu Sijiu and had thought about confessing, but she was certain that if she did, Gu Sijiu would reject her and might even feel resentment.
So, shouldn't she first soothe Gu Sijiu before anything else?
With these thoughts weighing on her mind, Song Jinzhi returned to her room, her stomach full, and saw a notification on her communicator informing her that her heat cycle was starting the next day, marking the beginning of an agonizing period. During the last heat cycle, Gu Sijiu had been unconscious, and Song Jinzhi had no choice but to endure it with strong suppressants bought by Jennifer.
This time, Song Jinzhi couldn't bring up the topic of her heat cycle with Gu Sijiu. She was the one who had distanced herself, and she was also the one who had caused their relationship to become strained. Now, they had to face this heat cycle together, and Song Jinzhi found the situation quite bothersome.
Lying on her bed, Song Jinzhi had made up her mind to rely on suppressants to get through this heat cycle. Once she had soothed Gu Sijiu and confirmed their relationship, there would be plenty of time for inti.macy. Song Jinzhi drifted off to sleep with this plan in mind, but by midnight, her body began to show signs of heat. An Omega's heat always started with a feeling of warmth, spreading from the inside out, particularly noticeable in the lower abdomen and inner thighs.
Her body yearned to emit pheromones, a sign of craving affection. Song Jinzhi woke up, startled from the stifling heat, a warm flow already soaking her pan.ties and threatening to stain the sheets beneath her. She let out a soft moan, and her first thought was of Gu Sijiu's face. How much she wanted her, how close she wanted to be—only that person could help her.
"Gu Sijiu... no... I can't... not this time." Despite her desire, Song Jinzhi retained some sense of reason and remembered her plan before falling asleep. Stumbling downstairs to the fridge, she grabbed the suppressants she had prepared in advance. She opened one and quickly injected it into the heated gland at the back of her neck. The restless urge finally eased somewhat, but in just a short time, Song Jinzhi was drenched in sweat, as if she had been pulled from water.
She lay exhausted on the bed, quietly waiting for this heat cycle to pass. Her thoughts ran wild, always circling back to Gu Sijiu. The Alpha who belonged to her was just next door, and a little devil in her heart urged her to seek her out. There was no need for suppressants to endure this pain, no need to suffer from burning desires—why not go to Gu Sijiu? She was her fiancée, what was wrong with wanting to be inti.mate with her?
These wicked thoughts grew in her mind, making Song Jinzhi feel increasingly uncomfortable. She rubbed her legs together, using her under.wear to rub against her thighs. The wet desire was humiliating, especially as her sensitive areas swelled with aro.usal. Without even looking, she could feel they were fuller than usual, the soft flesh and folds pressed together, rubbing against her sensitive core, causing a dizzying pleasure. She knew this was wrong, if she kept thinking this way, the suppressants would lose their effect, and then... it would be even harder to bear.
Song Jinzhi didn't know when she had become so fragile, so vulnerable. With Gu Sijiu by her side, she had allowed herself to indulge, and her body had become useless. She had endured many heat cycles in the past, but after being loved by Gu Sijiu, even her body had been tamed. Enduring the heat cycle had become much more difficult.
So hot... Gu Sijiu, can you feel it? My Alpha, I need you.
Song Jinzhi's eyes turned red, and tears spilled down the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but her body was just in too much discomfort, forcing the tears out. She was afraid of losing control, of acting recklessly like that first time when she had shamelessly forced herself onto Gu Sijiu. It would only anger her more, wouldn't it?
Trembling, Song Jinzhi got out of bed. She opened the drawer and took out a tie, securely binding one of her hands to the bedpost. The fabric of the tie was of excellent quality, with Song Jinzhi's strength, it would be difficult to break free. After doing this, she injected the remaining two suppressants into her gland, trembling as she covered herself with the blanket, biting down hard on the edge of it.
Gu Sijiu wasn't awakened in the middle of the night. When she woke up in the morning, she vaguely sensed that something was off.
The room was filled with the scent of hibiscus, which belonged to Song Jinzhi. The scent was strong enough to seep into her room, indicating that the Omega was emitting strong pheromones, something that only happened during a heat cycle. Gu Sijiu paused, quickly checking the notification on her communicator, which indeed confirmed that today was Song Jinzhi's heat cycle. However, all previous heats had started in the afternoon, and Gu Sijiu hadn't prepared in advance. It seemed that Song Jinzhi's heat cycle might have started a few hours earlier this time.
Realizing this, Gu Sijiu immediately got out of bed, but hesitated the moment she was about to push the door open. She knew that during Song Jinzhi's last heat cycle, she had used suppressants, and she could guess that Song Jinzhi would do the same this time. The two had tacitly ended their brief arrangement as bed partners, and Gu Sijiu was unsure if she should go check on Song Jinzhi. She wanted to, but reason told her that regardless of whether it was heat or something else, Song Jinzhi was no longer her concern.
After hesitating for a while in her room, Gu Sijiu decided not to think about it. She planned to go downstairs to find something to eat and then visit the winery that Evie had recommended earlier. However, as soon as she opened the door, the overwhelming pheromones hit her, causing her eyes to redden. The gland at the back of her neck throbbed violently, and the restless sensation in her core surged intensely, swelling, and within a few breaths, she was already in a state of aro.usal.
Gu Sijiu hadn't expected the pheromones outside to be this strong. She stared in shock at the slightly ajar door of Song Jinzhi's room. If it had only been a few hours, the scent wouldn't be this strong. The intense aroma made Gu Sijiu wonder how long Song Jinzhi had been in heat. During the heat cycle, Omegas could lose control, leading to potential dangers if their desires weren't relieved and accidents could occur.
Worrying about Song Jinzhi, Gu Sijiu thought it over and decided to check on her. Just one glance and she wouldn't do anything. Holding her breath, she gently pushed open the door to Song Jinzhi's room. She had assumed Song Jinzhi had taken suppressants and wouldn't be in too bad a state. But once inside, she realized she was wrong.
Song Jinzhi lay weakly on the bed, one hand tied to the headboard. Her struggles had left red marks on her wrists. The sheets beneath her were in disarray, and her nightgown lay scattered on the floor, leaving her wearing only a soaked black pair of panties. She had been tormented by the heat for a long time, and her pale skin was marked with scratches she had inflicted on herself, including on her thighs.
The room was thick with the intoxicating scent of hibiscus, drawing Gu Sijiu uncontrollably toward Song Jinzhi. Their eyes met, and Gu Sijiu felt her heart ache as she looked at Song Jinzhi's tear-red eyes.
"How did you end up in such a state?" Gu Sijiu deliberately lowered her voice, but the tone still carried a softness she hadn't even realized.
"Gu Sijiu... could you help me, please? Can you bring the suppressants from downstairs for me? I'm in so much pain, I have no strength left." Song Jinzhi's eyes were surrounded by a pink hue, and her lower lip was bitten raw, leaving her speaking weakly. Seeing her damp hair and the rise and fall of her chest, Gu Sijiu was surprised that Song Jinzhi would rather endure this than come to her. She felt a mix of disappointment and anger.
"Okay, I'll go get them for you." Gu Sijiu said softly. As she turned to leave, Song Jinzhi suddenly grabbed her wrist. Turning back, she saw Song Jinzhi silently gazing at her, her cheeks flushed. Due to the weakness brought on by her heat cycle, her grip on Gu Sijiu's wrist was gentle, almost subtle, as she quietly held on, tears streaming down her face.
"Why are you crying?" Gu Sijiu felt that Song Jinzhi was very fragile at this moment, unable to speak loudly.
"You're angry with me again, aren't you? Gu Sijiu, please don't hate me."
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